I own nothing except my own character, Ling, everything else is owned by the creator of Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is my first fic so I hope you all like it

(everything in this print) is everything that Ling signs

(everything in this print) is everything that a character is thinking

Chapter 1: Prologue

She had managed to sneak aboard when no one was looking, which wasn't really saying a lot because the crew was only minimum sized, even for a banished prince's ship she had expected more than this drabble. They had simply been anchored at the very end of the port's waters and when the prince had gotten off with his uncle to go shopping, she had waited until nightfall to slip on. Her close fitting black outfit along with the black half mask, masking her lower face, had helped her immensely and she was for once grateful for all the training back at that horrid camp.

The prince looked, walked, talked, and acted very different from the last time she had seen him which wasn't saying much since their first and last encounter had been for no longer than two minutes at the most. He had had a full head of hair and not that horribly ugly bald head and shaved ponytail hairdo. She hated it. He had also grown several inches taller and wore a different set of armor than what she had previously seen.

His uncle on the other hand looked exactly the same. The same gray hair partially tied up in a topknot. The same beard but fully gray now and several inches longer. The same robes with armor covering the top half of his body with his belt slightly loosened. He was still the upbeat old man that she remembered, she noted as he walked past her, not even seeing her in the slightest, talking about how pai sho applies to life to his nephew who looked like he's rather jump into the ocean and fight the biggest spirit there. At this she almost let out a laugh but silenced herself.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, no matter what happened she owed him for what he did for her and she had to repay that debt even if he didn't remember her. Even if he didn't remember her, his uncle most definitely would and that's what she was banking on. He was her last hope for her to get away for good and she would need his support to sway his nephew into allowing her to join them. If he didn't remember she would most likely be imprisoned then sent to the fire nation to be executed or worse, back to the camp. She shivered at the thought of ever returning to that wretched horrible place where the fake king resided. She took a breath to calm herself and took a chance to admire the draperies and other furnishings in the room that would decide her fate.

She was in General Iroh's room and as unorthodox as it was for her to be here she had decided that it was the better of the two, the other being prince Zuko's room and she was pretty sure that he would throw fireballs first and ask questions later. Yes, this was definitely better, she nodded to herself. She had found the room with hardly any problems considering she had overheard General Iroh give a soldier directions to deliver something to his room while they were disembarking.

They hadn't returned by nightfall and she had thanked the spirits for that but now she was growing anxious wondering where they were and what was taking so long. According to the Prince they were intending to only stay an hour and then leave immediately to continue the search for the Avatar.

She heard the door creak open and a short stocky body walked inside and shut the door quietly. She was still tucked away in the shadows when he began to speak. "If you think that I missed you in the market you thought wrong, my dear. To what do I owe the pleasure of having someone enter my room without my permission?" The last part had turned a little venomous, promising something bad should she answer wrong.

She took a breath, stepped out of the shadows, and removed her mask, she said, "I need your help, General Iroh." He was quiet for about ten seconds, which felt like an eternity to her, before realization dawned on his face. At first his face was one of shock and surprise then it transformed into one of horror, for which she could only guess, then transformed into a final one of compassion or pity, she could never really tell the two of them apart. He started toward her and she waited for the inevitable rebuff that would surly come now, but that's not what greeted her.

He was hugging her she realized and noticed that that wasn't the only thing he was doing. He was crying. No, he was sobbing. She had never seen this brave old man cry a day in her life, at least in the short span of time that she had known him. Maybe a tear here and there but never a full blown sobbing session and it was making her uneasy. He finally straightened up and apologized for his behavior which she brushed off. Well, at least she knew that she was going to live through the night. Iroh gestured for her to take a seat on the other side of a nicely carved table and put on some tea.

"Would you like ginseng or jasmine?" He asked and she replied with a "neither". Her nerves were already in a jumble and threatening to explode out of her and tea might make it worse. "Ginseng it is then." They sat in awkward silence until Iroh broke the silence by clearing his throat. "You know, for someone who needs my help so badly as to sneak aboard a Fire Nation ship, you are awfully quiet." He poured his tea and despite her rebuff earlier he poured her a cup too.

She took a deep breath and said, "I'm on the run from the Fire Nation and I need a place to lay low."

"And you believed a Fire Nation ship, let alone the one Fire Nation ship that houses a retired general and a banished prince that cannot go back to the Fire Nation until the Avatar is found? Ha, ha, very clever!" He laughed. He actually laughed! He had sounded as if he was going to reprimand her and send her on her way but instead he laughed! She wanted to end that laugh with a choke but restrained herself and cocked her head to the side making it look like as if he was running naked in the capital city. "Oh, ho, I'm sorry my dear, it's been a very long day and I must admit I am a bit weary. So," he said taking on a serious form, "how do you plan to explain your sudden appearance to my nephew?"

"I don't plan to say anything actually. He can't know who I am. I don't want him to know who I am until the time is right and by that time he will have either remembered me or he will never know and my debt to him will be repaid without his knowledge and I will be free to go. And,"

"What do you mean by debt?" He asked leaning his elbows on the table now fully engrossed in the conversation.

"That night six years ago." Was all she said and he understood.

"So what is your plan?"

"The plan is, is that I'm an old acquaintance of yours highly skilled in martial arts and fire bending but I'm a mute. I already know how to sign and I have a notepad just in case. Anyways, you believe it would be good for him to be around someone his own age and that it wouldn't hurt for him to have a body guard,"

"He won't take kindly to that and you would have to prove yourself."

"I know, and I'm perfectly capable of proving myself. Anyways, I will also keep my face covered no matter where we are, you can tell him I was cursed by the spirits or something, it doesn't matter to me. No matter what, he can't remove my mask, like I said earlier, he can't know who I am. I don't want him to."

Iroh looked at her skeptically and she tried not to squirm. "And, what if, the Avatar comes back? Will you choose his side or Zuko's side?" She had been dreading this question because this was the main one that would make or break her plan. Iroh had not agreed to anything yet and could still back out of this deal/plan of hers and she knew he would evaluate all possible angles before he would accept.

She took a deep breath, for what felt like the umpteenth time tonight, and said, "Both." Iroh raised an eyebrow as an indication to go on. She couldn't read his facial expression, it was as blank as a new canvas. "If Zuko were to capture the Avatar I would not set him free, however, if he were to get loose on his own I won't hinder him either. So, technically speaking, I would be on both sides."

"And if you were to come across the Avatar by yourself?"

"Like I said, I would do nothing. He isn't mine to capture."

"Smart move." Was all Iroh said and then, "Welcome aboard my dear you've got the job! We'll be staying another night here because I had to order some tea, so we can stage a run-in tomorrow at the market tomorrow. Will you be able to sneak off of the ship?"

"Yes. I can use the air ducts."

"Good, you better get going then. I have an appointment with my nephew that I am already late for. I will go out first and if I whistle then it is safe for you to leave but it I cough then it is not safe. It was good to see you again and I'm sorry for what happened." Compassion, she realized, shown on his face when he had said that.

"Don't be. It wasn't your fault and I'd rather if we never talked about it again." It came out colder than what she had meant but she didn't apologize.

"You have changed so drastically from the little girl who would smile for anything to one who refuses to smile even when reuniting with an old friend. What happened to that little girl?" Now his face was inhibited sadness and fragility.

With all the honesty and hate she could muster, she ground out, "She died along with her parents." And with that she vanished into the air duct system. What she didn't catch was the sorrowful sigh coming from the retired general who wished that he could take it all back.